A Long Overdue Update On Me (not to the comic, yet)

04-17-2018

(me being embarrassed)

So. Hey, everybody..?

It's been a while.

Before we get into that, I should address the reason I'm making this post. It seems since the start of April the comic gallery hasn't been working correctly, and it's impossible to view any strips besides the latest ones. I have some suspicions as to why this is, but my knowledge of webdesign and hosting in general is pretty weak, and I've always relied on Jack Scorey to help make sure the site is up and running.

Hopefully by the time most anyone reads this the problem will already be resolved, but just in case it's not, know that I'm doing my best to figure it out. (He said before accidentally completely crashing the site...)

On to the more pressing stuff: Where the hell have I been? (TLDR warning...)

I'm sure at this point everyone is tired of waiting a year for me to upload a new comic, then promise "I'll get working on the next one real soon!" only to promptly disappear for another year. But hey, here we are again.

The truth is after i got back from Japan I did start working on Episode 12 almost right away...and then a funk set in. I'd been working my job as a Land Surveyor for three years, and while I liked it well enough, I knew it wasn't what I really wanted to do for a career. It hit me that if I wanted to do something else with my life, I needed to take steps towards it, otherwise I'd just be working that same job forever.

The one thing I've truly enjoyed doing in life (and that I'd like to think I'm pretty decent at) is writing. More than that, since I was a kid I've dreamed of writing for TV or movies, if that wasn't obvious by my obsession with LOST. I like doing comics too, but clearly I while I enjoy some aspects of drawing on the whole I find it kind of tedious, and I clearly wasn't going to make a career out of it the way I was going. Maybe I could've gotten on the Patreon train early on, but I definitely missed that boat at some point.

So I decided that in 2018 I'd move to Los Angeles and give it a go. I kept working the job in 2017 to save up, worked on some projects that never saw the light, wrote a screenplay, and all the while kept telling myself I'd get back to Hard-Mode once I had it sorted out.

But everytime I thought about working on the comic, I kept feeling like I should be working on something else, like more scripts, or looking for a place to live in LA, and in the end it too often resulted in me doing neither. I think I've touched upon this before in older posts, how when I know I have so much to do I end up paralyzed and doing none of it. That's mostly what happened. I kept telling myself I should at least make a blog post explaining myself, but it got to the point where even thinking about the site made me feel so terribly guilty about not updating that I started putting that off too. It was the wrong thing to do, but it was easier for me to ignore it. I'm sorry for that.

I'm in LA now. I still haven't found real work, but I'm still looking, still writing. Living the cliche, I guess.

I'm a broken record at this point, but I'm not done with this comic. There's only a few episodes left in Hard-Mode, and even if it takes me 20 years I plan to get them drawn and uploaded eventually. My focus is kind of on trying to make a career for myself for the immediate future, but don't be too surprised if you see Episode 12 appear sometime in 2018. You never know.

I'll make another post when the site is fixed, and maybe by then I'll have more to update you with. Thanks everyone who's ever read my dumb comics, you won't be waiting forever for more. I can promise that much, at least.

-Nuzlocke

12-09-2016

Anon

Lemme know when we get to this update, yeah?

04-17-2018

Wonbee

Really cool that you’re taking those steps towards a writing career! No need to feel guilty about the comic at all dude. I love reading it, but your real life and happiness always take precedent. Take as much or as little time as you need. Everyone will still be here whenever you’re ready. Good luck!

04-17-2018

Jack

HE BACK

04-17-2018

Pasta

Dude! nice to see that you are alive. Last year I had a similar situation to you with regards to my thesis lol.If we get to see a new episode this year, that'd be great. If we don't, it doesn't matter.Best Wishes!

04-17-2018

Rich

Thanks for keeping an eye on the site regardless of your absence. Pure respect for following your dreams and getting your writing career kick-started, I know I can speak for everyone here that you obviously have talent as a writer.

As for the updates, I know how it feels to be paralyzed by overwhelming obligations and the resulting guilt from not doing it! Just remember that no-one here expects anything from you brother. And hey, if you do get something written up and produced, be sure to stick it on here!

04-17-2018

Napline

Glad to hear from you regardless, I think you would kick ass as a writer. I hope we will one day soon see the finale of Pokemon: Hard Mode, it would bring closure to something you've been working on and we've been reading for a long time. I know I'm looking forward to it. Take your time, good luck with the dream!

04-17-2018

Sebastian Dupuis

I was trying to introduce a friend to your comics and saw it was down. Cool you're on it so quickly. As for the procrastination, the 'discipline' subreddit could be of help. Anyways, good luck!

04-17-2018

Furfrou

Yo the hosting for the comics is down, all the content is there but the comic viewer you use (http://www.designmeme.com/comicgallery/) hosting is down. Not sure there's much you can do without getting another comic viewer. But all the content is there so if anyone wants to view comics you have to open image in a new tab and edit the URL to the right number.

04-17-2018

Garnet

Good to hear you’re doing alright, man! No worries about the lack of comics, as long as you’re still alive, lol.

I definitely think you have potential in the entertainment business - Hell, looking at the following Hard Mode has built up and how far your challenge has gone is proof enough of that! I wish you luck in the pursuit of your dreams :0 If there’s anything any of us can do, let us know!

04-17-2018

Bug

Howdy, Nuz! Good to hear from you. I really wish you luck on your writing career. We're behind you 100%, and I'm really excited to see what you do.

04-17-2018

CE

Glad to hear you're alive! I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm just happy to know you're doing OK. If it takes another 20 years for you to finish the comic, then so be it. I already read Berserk, so what's a bit of a wait to me?

04-17-2018

Lionheart261

Ditto to what everyone else is saying. I'm just thankful you're, you know, not dead.

04-18-2018

Meat Rainbow

Wish you the best man, real fans stick around.

04-18-2018

Tyler

Hey, I’m just glad you’re alive and making progress towards what you want to do with your life :) Obviously I want to see more Hard Mode (I mean, why else would I be checking in, right?) but it’d be pretty awesome to be able to see you make it big and watch some movie or show that you wrote and being able to take in awesome work and you actually making money off it :P Good luck! And I think I speak for most of the hardcore fans here in saying that we’d on the whole rather see occasional non-comic updates/mini-blog posts than nothing at all for a year plus lol.

04-18-2018

TriP

I know the feels about getting so overwhelmed by projects you can't even touch any of them. It's honestly an issue. Take care of yourself, Nuz. Glad to see you're doing what you love. I'll continue the echo of wanting a Nuzblog or something, just to make sure you're fine and stuff. And keep us updated on your writing career - I want premier tickets to your first produced screenplay ;)

04-18-2018

Phreack

I love you nuzzie, take a decade if you want, we'll always be here for you

04-18-2018

Wolfie

My dude we're all just glad you're okay! Hard Mode is heaps of fun for us and if it's any indication at all of your writing, I reckon we'd all love to read anything you'd care to share.

You gotta look after you, man, we're all trying to live our best lives and we understand. Keep in touch when you can!

And if you started a Patreon I'm pretty sure some of us would love to be a part of that too.

04-18-2018

MasterSango

He lives!

I'm glad that you are following your dreams, Nuzlocke.You have nothing to feel guilty about.I wish you all the success.

04-18-2018

Manic

Updates getting buried under stress and life and that sort of thing? Man, do I know that feel.

It'll come when it comes.

04-18-2018

Lucas

Well, you've seen that we are pretty patient, so take your time to live your life. And hey, some comics some day would be great, but hearing that at least you're not dead is even better.

04-18-2018

Bumblefeet

Neat, living in LA. I was planning on moving there a couples years back. So yeah, we'll still be here whenever you get back. I think it would be hilarious if your drawings show evolution from panel 1 to the end just because of how long this has taken. We'll be here when you get here. We're long haulers and probably enjoy hearing the tales of Nuzlocke.

04-18-2018

Splash Attack

Glad to have you back, It’s going to be bitter sweet when the comic comes into a close, even if it takes the rest of our lives. Take your time, Nuz

04-18-2018

Not Darth Sidious

A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

04-18-2018

CyanDraws

Yo dude, nice to see you being back! I'm the owner of a small discord dedicated to keeping track of your updates and you are welcome to join the community. Same with anyone else who sees this post. https://discord.gg/XqVJKyY

04-18-2018

G

Been checking back a couple times a week for years, will continue for many more. Still lots of hungry fans out here.

04-18-2018

zsgxdfchgbhnjkd

LOSE WEIGHT FASTBITCOINGREAT DIET PLAN

Nah just kidding, good to have u back Nuz xox

04-19-2018

oceanboy86

If you're in LA you might enjoy giving Dom Fera a visit. He made the Lazer Collection btw and he's always interested in collaborating with other Internet-like people in similar situations.

It's good to have you back Nuz.

04-19-2018

oceanboy86

And @Master Sango has returned as well. Good to see you too.

04-19-2018

mikeydale007

Hey Nuz, I've been a fan of your comic for years, and I check the site every few days to see if there's an update. I was devastated recently when I saw that I couldn't go back and re-read hard mode, which I do every few months. I understand that you don't owe us anything, but please try to at least be a little more active on twitter so we know you're still alive.

04-19-2018

Heiru

I believe in you.Be true to you.

04-19-2018

Geoffery McFroggnstien

I hope to see the inevitable LOST reboot with your name amongst the head writers- I hope it all works out for you! Been checking back here every week for a few years, not gonna stop any time soon!

And it's awesome to see Master Sango hanging around here, too!

...Here's hoping the bots don't get this page...

04-19-2018

Coffee

You're a sight for sore eyes. But seriously though do what you have to do. We understand.

04-19-2018

Poturtle

Glad your still kicking.

04-20-2018

Venjix

Good to have you back buddy

04-21-2018

Radasus

I'm a comic artist that might be looking for a writer, if you're interested in getting a comic series drawn out! Sample of my comic based work here: http://d.facdn.net/art/radasus/1523228885/1523228885.radasus_kingspine_issue_0-4_smaller.png

04-21-2018

Radasus

I'm a comic artist that might be looking for a writer, if you're interested in getting a comic series drawn out! Sample of my comic based work here: http://d.facdn.net/art/radasus/1523228885/1523228885.radasus_kingspine_issue_0-4_smaller.png

04-21-2018

Freezachu

This is kind of repeating, but it's great to hear that you're doing well, and that you're following your dreams Nuzlocke.

04-22-2018

Snek

It’s really great to hear from you again! I hope that everything’s going well for you and that things only get better from here! I know how draining comic making can be, which is why I haven’t even started my own nuzlocke comic yet, so the fact that you’ve managed to keep it up this long and this well is totally amazing! There are so many people in this community who are grateful for what you’ve done, no matter what you do, we’ll have your back! Take this comic at your own pace, even if it does take 20 years. No matter how long it takes, I’ll always be excited for the next one.

04-22-2018

Anon

Yo, it's great hearing from you again, and I think I'm talking for everybody when I say we were all sure you'd be back! I hope everything turns out alright for ya, never stop believing and keep on living the dream! Y'know, maybe this is all happening for a reason!Best wishes!

04-23-2018

Thread

Glad to see you're alive and stuff. Echoing everyone in all the replies to posts like these, take all the time you need. Just not forever... that'd be against the rules.

04-23-2018

QuickT

im just happy that our mans still alive.Biggest inspiration for me still, made me make my own fire red nuzlocke comic way back.Good luck out there man

04-23-2018

TheBELIEVER

HE IS ALIVE, ARCEUS BE PRAISED!!! THE MISSION LIVES ON!!!!!

On a serious note, nice to hear from you bud, i will be here for the next 20 years. I would be down with if just drop some signs of life more often

04-23-2018

TheBELIEVER

Doesn't have to be serious or comics related. Just a picture and hi I'm alive and working or whatever. I of course get if you don't want to.

04-23-2018

TheBELIEVER

Anyho love the comics man you doing gods work, and thanks for coming up with the idea of nuzlocke, i have rediscovered the joy of Pokemon.

Peace

04-24-2018

YA BOI GARY

I've been waiting for years AND ILL CONTINUE.

04-24-2018

pkblitz

I can't blame you, because I relate to everything you said, especially the "getting paralyzed and doing none of the many heavy tasks you wanted to get out of the way as to not get paralyzed to begin with" bit. I just hope you achieve your goals, and update the comic when you feel it's right and when you really want to write it and draw it. Take your time (but don't get the wrong idea, don't wait THAT long for the next one eh? I'm not planning on reading this once I have kids...ok that's a lie, I still would)

04-24-2018

The Dog Of Wisdom

Nuzlocke, if its ok if I call you that. I don't mind waiting, the person behind the comic is more important than the comic itself, do whatever makes you happy. Things always take time. This message is cheesy as fuck but its w/e.

04-25-2018

Zenjirou

It's good just to hear that you're still around, Nuzlocke. Do what you need to do for yourself first, get that writing career going. Best of luck man.

04-26-2018

Tate

I'm glad to hear from you again, bud. I've been checking the site every week or so, hoping for the best. Keep your dreams alive! Your writing is really stellar. I mean that as both a fan and a former collaborator. You got this.

04-26-2018

Garnet

Heya Tate, good to see you! Hope things are going well for you too my man :0

On the topic of Nintendo stuff, y’all hear the news about the new president, Shuntaro Furukawa? Apparently he grew up on the Famicom, which is pretty cool. He speaks fluent English and according to this article has worked on marketing with Nintendo, including helping with Pokémon and the Switch? And he says Golf Story is his current favorite game, so it sounds like he’s into indie titles as much as the classic Nintendo mainstays. I think he’s got potential! It’ll be interesting seeing where he takes the company, and I wish him luck.

04-27-2018

lordsavor

HE CAME BACC

04-27-2018

lordsavor

HE CAME BACC

04-28-2018

PBnJ

Still a fan of your work! Good luck and I wish you the best!

04-29-2018

BenD10

To repeat what others have said: Welcome back! You’re a great writer!

As a casual writer, I know that burning desire to write full time, so I definitely support you all the way. But also similar to you, I’ve found that setting aside time to work on “passion projects” is harder and harder with each passing year. I’ve had a book I’m working on sit 3/4 done on my computer for two years. Life happens I guess. Just wanted to let you know that you’re not alone :)

So no worries about the delay of the comics! Was a fan, still am a fan, and will be a fan until the end.

04-30-2018

A lover of Nuzlockes

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON !!!

YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!

YOU GOT THIS, NUZ!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooOOOooo!!!!:D

05-04-2018

JarvisTK64

Wooo! Nuzlocke will be back! You left us at a cliffhanger too! Take your time tho. Ill be seeing you soon hopefully.Wooooooo!

05-06-2018

Shadowz

glad to see you're still around, best of luck w/everything!

05-07-2018

Elmo

He returns! Also I totally get that idea of not wanting to post because you've gone so long without posting and feeling guilty, happens all the time to me with work and email. Hope things are looking up for your new career, good to have you back Nuz

05-08-2018

Andypandy

Will black and white be the last iterations if Hard Mode then the co OC is finished??

05-09-2018

oceanboy86

To anyone who doesn't keep an eye on his Twitter he started streaming to pay for the site updates.You should check it out. Maybe it's good.

05-12-2018

Geoff

Good to have you back man! This comic has always made us fans happy for years (maybe a decade? Idk). But this comic should always take a 2nd to your career & whatever you really want to do! I'm sure if you still open a Patreon us fans would still support you, maybe one of us knows how to create websites & can help you out! You do you man, even if it doesn't come out in 2018 we understand!

05-13-2018

KirbyDerpy

I'm so glad I remembered to check this site again! I knew you would update sooner or later haha and with such a great story too! I really wish you the best and you have all my respect for taking the steps you did and for writing this post. You look well too! (and different from what i remember, is it the facial hair??). We'll always be here to welcome you back!